Blog Post Archive

Photo by Erez Avissar
Kanye West is known as one of the greatest rappers and producers. He’s also known to make grandiose statements. His statements, while many interpret them as inspirational, are usually seen in the media as egomaniacal "rants". Show More Summary

A few years back, the ever-contentious lyrics-annotation startup Rap Genius instituted what it called a "blog affiliate program." In exchange for bloggers posting links to individual Rap Genius song pages—a page per track on an album—the platform would link back to their blogs. Show More Summary

Photo by Ron Wolfson/Landov
Growing up a music-loving child before the digital age could be tricky. There were no aggregators, big-time curation was handled by the likes of Jann Wenner, and actually going through boxes of albums took as much time as a record store clerk was willing to give you. Show More Summary

March 1st. The strips of light that spill into my bedroom through gaps between the curtains feel discernibly warm for the first time in five months. The residue of yesterday’s hangover lingers in the back of my skull like something...Show More Summary

Image via Instagram
The female image has long been a central, divisive aspect of popular culture, and the increasing ubiquity of Instagram has changed public perception of female music icons in complex, often conflicting ways. From Kim...Show More Summary

GIF via Lars Gotrich/NPR Sleater-Kinney's decade-long hiatus means that many fans catching the No Cities to Love tour are seeing the band's iconic live show for the very first time—including Pitchfork contributors Molly Beauchemin, Hazel Cills, Suzy Exposito, Melody Lau, Jillian Mapes, and Jenn Pelly. Show More Summary

When I go out, I hope no one notices. There’s a show tonight and I want to go. I’ve been to this place before. I know what I’m about to put myself through. I take all the preparation I need and make the trek out. The first thing I see are steps that seem to go on forever. Show More Summary

A week ago, critically beloved/strangely polarizing Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen released "I Really Like You", and over the weekend she released the video starring Tom Hanks (from that volleyball movie). The song created some dissent among Pitchfork staffers so now we're going to talk about it. Show More Summary

Photo by Joe Mabel
Critic and editor Robert Christgau has been there from the very beginning, notoriously (and/or jokingly) referring to himself as the Dean of American Rock Critics since the early '70s. It’s a testament to his longevity and standing that the boast hasn’t lost the ring of truth. Show More Summary

Video portrait by Erik Sanchez
A few days ago, M.I.A. dropped her first new track since 2013. "CanSeeCanDo" was posted up on her Soundcloud on Friday and, this being M.I.A., everyone has an opinion on what she is saying, or the message and politics within. Show More Summary

Before he moved to New York and became a key drummer in Miles Davis’ powerful electric lineup, circa Bitches Brew, Jack DeJohnette played drums all over Chicago in the early 1960s. This was the same period during which future Art Ensemble...Show More Summary

Photo by Todd Diederich
On a recent Chicago evening, Jimmy Whispers was standing outside Weegee’s Lounge. He comes to the Logan Square dive often, primarily to play shuffleboard. It’s why he was there. The bar has a 1940s-era charm—board...Show More Summary

On the day before Valentine’s Day 2015, Drake told the world "If I die I’m a legend." As it was, he was probably right. With If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake broke the record for the number of charting singles by one...Show More Summary

A six-second video can change one’s life. In 2013, Vine, the social media app, helped propel the minor California hits "Red Nose" and "Gas Pedal" by Sage the Gemini and "My Nigga" by YG into the Hot 100 as brief video views drove massive YouTube plays that led to radio play. Show More Summary

Thirty years ago, cartoonist Alison Bechdel published "The Rule" in her syndicated comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. Adapted from an anecdote one of her friends told her, Bechdel had unintentionally created the Gold Standard for indicating gender bias in film. Show More Summary

Photo by Colin Kerrigan
Some music is meant to be listened to with a lover. Some music is meant to be listened to with a bunch of buddies and beers. And some music is meant to be listened to when you are on your own, either because it's...Show More Summary

Photo by Ari Marcopoulos
It is said that depression is anger turned inward. And if that’s true, then the entirety of Black America suffers from a depression. The collective emotional toll of the violence and abuse of the last nearly 500 years shows up in a lot of ways. Show More Summary

"She wore her sexuality with an older woman's ease, and not like an awkward purse, never knowing how to hold it, where to hang it, or when to just put it down." ? Zadie Smith, White Teeth "Shout out to them freshman on Instagram straight...Show More Summary

Whether you read On Some Faraway Beach, author David Sheppard’s biography of Brian Eno, or writer Geeta Dayal’s in-depth investigation of Eno’s 1975 watermark Another Green World, at one point, you’ll come upon Eno’s comment about an...Show More Summary

October Falls like to keep you guessing. The band was originally conceived and executed as the solo project of one M. Lehto, who gradually expanded the lineup to include a handful of musicians from other Finnish bands. The first fewShow More Summary